The Opal Deception
by The CheezHead
Summary: My version of the fourth book. Artemis regains his memories from a different source than Mulch, and those memories aren't what they should be. Permanent hiatus due to release of actual book.
1. Prologue

A/N- I know I still have to finish The Mind's Eye, but I got another inspiration. And once I get an inspiration I have to go with it or my head'll explode, and that's too messy to clean up. So I have to write this story. My version of the fourth book The Opal Deception, since I'm sooooo sick of waiting for it.

Disclaimer- I own only what is mine.

**THE OPAL DECEPTION**

PROLOGUE

**Excerpt from Artemis Fowl's diary, disk 1 (encrypted)**

_Butler has recently returned from Limerick bringing disturbing news. His contact was under the misconception that it was Butler who ordered the lenses that were placed in our eyes. This cannot be!_

_ Butler examined the receipts and said it is either a) his signature or b) a highly skilled forgery. Option 'a' is entirely impossible. If Butler had ordered the lenses I would know. So therefore we are in the middle of a well-thought out conspiracy. Our opposition must be quite skilled to have fooled our Limerick contact and to have covered his tracks so cleverly. They may prove to be formidable opponents._

_ This is not all that causes me distress. My father has taken a rather surprising change of character. He is not the harsh and solitary man I knew from my childhood. I have to be honest; this change would not bother me except for the fact that he has given up on the Fowl Empire. My father wishes for me to stop all of my criminal doings. I will not stop completely. If he should become a sap and start squandering our money away to charities, our vast fortune could be severly reduced. _Aurum est Potestas_ has completely left his mind. Now he talks of becoming a hero. What is the point of being a hero? People worship you for a few days, maybe a week, but then you're old news. No one cares about some middle-aged man who thinks that saving others can replace a life of crime. The Fowls have always been criminals. I will continue to be a criminal, even if my father will not._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N- Yeah, I know it's short. Most of my prologues are. Don't know why, that's just the way I write.


	2. Chapter One: The Confines of Boredom

A/N- Since my first chapter was so short, I'm putting the second one up at the same time. Enjoy.

Disclaimer- I own only what is mine.

**THE OPAL DECEPTION**

CHAPTER ONE: THE CONFINES OF BOREDOM

**Haven City, the Lower Elements**

Mulch Diggums was idly sitting in his cell, bored to tears. Two months had gone by since the mind-wipe of Artemis Fowl and they were still reviewing Mulch's file. 'What does it take to get something done quickly around here?' Mulch thought.

Mulch expertly tossed the gold coin up into the air and caught it on his toe. It was a trick he had become quite good at during his stay at the local penitentiary. 'Even if the coin doesn't restore Fowl's memory, at least it'll have been good for something,' the dwarf thought dejectedly.

Mulch sighed, already bored with his trick. He lay down on his cot and started to count the ceiling tiles (even though he already knew there were 87 [not that that mattered]).

The stir-crazy dwarf stopped at 43. He's never been this bored in jail before. That might have to do with the fact that during his other imprisonments there wasn't that slim possibility of being set free.

It was really too bad he didn't have anything to occupy his time with. Mulch was beginning to regret his life of crime, and for a dwarf with no regrets, that was saying quite a lot.

"How many bars does the door have?" Mulch wondered aloud, "Nineteen or 20?" He turned to count, and was surprised to see Captain Holly Short, of LEPrecon, peering back at him.

"Neither," she stated, "twenty-one."

Mulch quickly masked his surprise, "Captain Short, good ta see ya! Come to pay an old friend a visit?"

Holly grinned, "You don't have any friends Mulch. I'm here to escort you to the Conference Room."

The dwarf could have sworn his heart skipped a beat, "Are they done reviewing my case?"

She shrugged, "I don't question orders; I just follow 'em."

Mulch snorted in disbelief, "Yeah right. You just keep telling yourself that. Pretend all of your screw-ups were because you followed orders and did everything the way you were supposed to. You'll be in for a rude awakening if you're fired."

Holly would have stuck her tongue out at him, but that would be childish. Fortunately she was spared from having to come up with a witty retort by a voice in her ear.

"Captain Short! Why are you taking so long in retrieving the convict?!?!?" Root's voice bellowed in the elf's ear.

"Not my fault, sir. Apparently I caught Mulch with his pants down. Literally." Holly could have sworn she heard a little cackle as the Commander ended the transmission.

Mulch gaped at Holly in horror, "How dare…how could…that was mean," he finished lamely.

The Captain merely grinned while unlocking the door, "Don't even _think_ about running away. I was told to not show _any_ mercy."

Mulch gulped. A Holly without mercy was not something you wanted to see. He decided to co-operate; he didn't feel like dying today.

"Alright, I'll co-operate," the dwarf got up and walked over to Holly, "Lead me to my impending doom." He stretched his arms out in front of him, as if to say 'Cuff me now.'

Holly grinned, "I'm not going to cuff you, Mulch. An old friend deserves much better treatment. I'm using a more _unconventional_ method." She fingered the buzz baton at her waist for emphasis, "Follow me."

Mulch obeyed. Between facing the wrath of an armed Captain Short and facing a goblin, he'd take the goblin.

After taking a long walk down many winding corridors, and having one inmate admitted into the hospital wing because he whistled at Holly, the pair reached the Conference Room. At first Mulch thought the room was on fire due to the large amount of smoke in it, but then he realized that Commander Root was smoking one of his trademark, toxic fungus cigars. Across the table from Root was Mulch's attorney, a pretty elf (whose name he could not for the life of him recall) who was trying desperately not to inhale too much smoke.

When the Commander saw his Captain and the convict he put out his cigar. Mulch's lawyer didn't look too upset at this.

Once Holly and Mulch were seated Root began the procedure, "Ms. Thistle, would you please take out Mr. Diggums file?"

'Aha,' Mulch thought, 'that's what her name is. Ms. Thistle.'

Ms. Thistle pulled out a manilla folder packed with papers. About as thick as the distance from the tip of you thumb to the tip of your pointer finger, "Since the jail's computer system is currently being updated, and for some reason all electronics have been forbidden, with the exception of LEP material," here she sent Root and Holly and withering glance, "so until they are done updating we have to use more…primitive methods."

Mulch had to surpress a smile when he saw his file. It looked so much more extensive than when he had seen it on the computer.

"As you can see Mr. Diggums has been a rather busy dwarf," Ms. Thistle began, "but apparently the scribe made an error. The date on this document here," she opened the folder and pointed to the paper on top, "is not in conjunction to the actual date upon which…"

Mulch leaned back and contentedly sighed. He didn't understand all the legal mumbo jumbo, but judging from the fact that Root's face was taking on a purplish hue, Mulch was ready to be that the Commander would have to let him go.

"…so therefore Mr. Diggums must be released from this penitentiary establishment."

Root was about to say the hardest thing he would ever have to say. In fact he had to call upon every once of self-control he had to not start yelling, "Alright, he's free to go."

Mulch actually jumped up and whooped. And it is quite a spectacle to see a dwarf jump, because they so rarely let their feet leave the ground.

Root's face was an extremely nasty purple colour. Holly seemed impassive. Ms. Thistle looked triumphant. And Mulch was ecstatic!

The ex-convict, now free dwarf saluted Commander Root and Captain Short, shook his attorney's hand, and practically danced out of the room.

"Short, you're excused. Take the next shuttle out," Root dismissed his officer, feeling as if someone had stolen his favourite fungus cigars.

As Holly was walking out the front doors, a breathless elf in LEP uniform stopped her. "Captain Short…you're needed…at Howler's…Peak. You've…already been given…clearance."

Holly nodded, puzzled and walked away. Clearance already? She decided not to ponder it and made her way to the shuttle stop. In addition to having shuttles that went up to the surface Haven also had shuttles that were used as a transportation system around the city. Sort of like a bus route.

It was quite surprising that there was a shuttle straight to Howler's Peak, especially since it was rarely used. In fact Holly was the only one to exit the shuttle at the stop, and she couldn't help but feel glad that she didn't have to walk 10 blocks.

An ominous fort stood before her. Barred windows, bullet (and fire) proof windows and walls, limestone foundation and a seven-foot tall stonewall with barbed wire on top. A convict's worst nightmare. Howler's Peak had started out as a goblin prison, but soon began to accommodate all species. However the majority of the convicted population remained goblin.

Holly had only been to Howler's Peak once before. Something that she never thought about, but still had to occasionally shove away. She walked up to the front gate and pressed the intercom button. "Hello, this is Captain Holly Short of the LEP. I was told to report here."

The doors swung open in reply. Nervously Holly entered, walked up the front path, and went through the front doors. The receptionist greeted her. "Hi. Glad you could make it on such short notice." Here the receptionist smiled a pink lipstick smile, "I'm Shirley, and you can report to the second floor, three doors down from the elevator lift. Seventh door down from the stairway."

Holly opted for the stairs; the music in elevators drove her crazy. There was a nervous-looking guard outside the seventh door. "Captain Short?"

Holly nodded, "That's me."

The guard looked pensive, "You seem very familiar. I think I remember you from when you were a child. Were you the one who…?"

Holly cut him off, "Probably. Now why was I called down here?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Please won't you step inside?"

He opened the door and walked in with Holly closely following. She hoped she'd get out of here quickly; this place brought back too many memories. Ones she didn't nessecarily want to remember.

The guard sat down and gestured for Holly to do the same. She complied. "This morning we discovered that one of our inmates had escaped. A pixie by the name of Opal Koboi. All that was found in her cell was this note addressed to you." He handed her the note, "We just wanted to give you the note."

"Thank you," she said and left the room. Leaning against the wall, she opened the letter:

_Dear Captain Short,_

_ I'm coming for you._

_Love always,_

_Opal Koboi_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N- That's it. Please review.


	3. Chapter Two: The Problems of the Rich an...

A/N- Nothing to say. Much of the content in this chapter is taken directly from the book. I'm sorry, but I can't possibly beat the writing of Eoin Colfer in describing events. ::dodges tomatoes:: Eep! Don't hurt me!

Disclaimer- I own only what is mine.

**THE OPAL DECEPTION**

CHAPTER TWO: PROBLEMS OF THE RICH AND MIND-WIPED

**Fowl Manor, Ireland**

One does not usually associate the mind of Artemis Fowl II with the word 'wiped'. Many scholars have tried and failed to understand the things that go on in this teenager's mind. Of course their task would be much easier if Artemis Fowl II was a normal teenager, for although the mind of an average teenager is a mystery, it has more thoughts of the opposite gender, than of advanced equations and of criminal impulses and of conspiracies. Actually the normal teenage mind does believe in conspiracies: their teachers hate them, their enemies are plotting against them, and such nonsense. So maybe Artemis Fowl II wasn't as detached from other teenagers as he liked to think, if he still believed he was being conspired against.

But then with Artemis Fowl II, one never knows. He could, in fact, really have enemies who were conspiring against him, because at the age of 15 he had managed to run a successful criminal empire, all without his parents's awareness, and without ever having missed a day of school. Although with his intellect he probably didn't even have to go to school.

Lately this ingenious youth had been troubled. He felt as if bits and pieces of his life were missing, as if parts of his life were a lie. A big, fat lie. Sometimes it seemed as if events that he remembered, never really happened at all. Artemis felt as if his whole life was not what it seemed. Even his dreams were troubled by mystical creatures, and events that seemed vaguely familiar, yet strangely impossible. Such as the dream he was having now.

_ Artemis stood in front of his mother's bed in her private chambers._

_ "You're a good boy, Artemis. Now, give Mummy a hug."_

_ Artemis stepped into the shadowy folds of his mother's robe. She smelled perfumed, like petals in water. But her arms were cold and weak._

_ "Oh, darling," she whispered, and the sound sent goose bumps popping down Artemis's neck. "I hear things. At night. They crawl along the pillows and into my ears."_

_ Artemis felt the lump in his throat again._

_ "Perhaps we should open the curtains, Mother."_

_ "No," his mother sobbed, releasing him from her grasp. "No. Because then I could see them, too."_

_ The scene melted away and Artemis found himself on the floor of the control room._

_ Artemis was propped on his elbows. "You hit me," he said in disbelief._

_ A short girl with cropped auburn hair in a green jumpsuit strapped on a set of what appeared to be mechanical wings._

_ "That's right, Fowl. And there's plenty more where that came from. So stay right where you are, if you know what's good for you."_

_ For once in his life, Artemis realized he didn't have a snappy answer. He opened his mouth, waiting for his brain to supply the customary pithy comeback. But nothing arrived._

_ The girl slipped a gun into its holster._

_ "That's right, Mud Boy. Playtime's over. Time for the professionals to take over. If you're a good boy I'll buy you a lollipop when I come back."_

_ And when the girl was long gone, soaring beneath the hallway's oak beams, Artemis said, "I don't like lollipops."_

_ Again the scene changed and he found himself in the back seat of the Bentley._

_ Butler passed the computer over his shoulder. Artemis activated the compact machine, folding out the flat colour screen. At first he thought the battery was dead, then he realized he was looking at a field of snow. White on white, with only the faintest shadows to indicate dips and drumlins._

_ Artemis felt the uneasiness rolling in his gut. Funny how such an innocent image could be so foreboding._

_ The camera panned upward, revealing a dull twilight sky. Then a black hunched object in the distance. A rhythmic crunching issued through the compact speakers as the cameraman advanced through the snow. The object grew clearer. It was a man sitting on, no _tied to_, a chair. The ice clinked in Artemis's glass. His hands were shaking._

_ The man was dressed in rags of a once fine suit. Scars branded the prisoners face like lightning bolts, and one leg appeared to be missing. It was difficult to tell. Artemis's breath was jumpy now, like a marathon runner's._

_ There was a sign around the man's neck. Cardboard and twine. On the sign scrawled in thick black letters: _Zdravstvutye syn_. The camera zoomed on the message for several seconds, then went blank._

_ A field underneath a starry sky was where he found himself next._

_ "Maybe I owe you something too, human," the girl said, drawing her pistol. _

_ The girl plucked a gold coin from her belt, flicking it fifty feet into the moonlit sky. With one fluid movement, she brought her weapon up and loosed a single bullet. The coin rose another fifty feet, then spun earthward. Artemis somehow managed to snatch it from the air. The first cool moment of his young life._

_ "Nice shot," he said. The previously solid disk now had a tiny hole in the center._

_ The girl held out her hand, revealing the still raw scar on her finger, "If it weren't for you, I would have missed altogether. No mech-digit can replace that kind of accuracy. So, thank you too, I suppose."_

_ Artemis held out the coin._

_ "No," said the girl. "You keep it, to remind you."_

_ "To remind me?"_

_ The girl stared at him frankly. "To remind you that deep beneath the layers of deviousness, you have a spark of decency. Perhaps you could blow on that spark occasionally."_

_ He found himself in a ruined restaurant, with shattered windows and various unconscious people lying around. Butler lay on the floor, wounded._

_ With his last vestige of strength, Butler raised a hand._

_ "Good-bye, Artemis," he said. "My friend."_

_ Artemis caught the hand. The tears were streaming now. Unchecked._

_ "Good-bye, Butler."_

_ The bodyguard's sightless eyes were calm. "Artemis, call me Domovoi."_

_ Finally he found himself in the front hall of Fowl Manor, surrounded by, what appeared to be, elves and various equipment._

_ "Very well. First, thank you. I have my family and friends around me thanks to the People. I wish I didn't have to forget that."_

_ The girl laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's better this way, Artemis. Believe me."_

_ "And second, I want you all to think back to the first time you met me. Remember that night?"_

_ The girl visibly shuddered._

_ "If you take away the memories and influences of the People," continued Artemis, "I might become that person again. Is that what you really want?"_

Artemis woke up, feeling confused. Why was he constantly plagued with these dreams that seemed so familiar, and then waking up to find no recollection of them. And who was that pretty girl with the auburn hair he kept seeing?

- - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - -

A/N- I wanted to add more but my parents are screaming at me to get off the computer, and I'm going to be away for the week and I really wanted to get this up. Please review!


	4. Chapter Three: The Musings of Artemis Fo...

A/N- Nothing to say except read.

**THE OPAL DECEPTION**

CHAPTER 3: THE MUSINGS OF ARTEMIS FOWL (THE SECOND)

**Diary of Artemis Fowl, disk 1 (encrypted)**

_I am once again being plagued with mysterious dreams. They seem extremely familiar except when I wake up I can recall nothing of them, except for a pretty girl with auburn hair. Why when all other images fade, does hers stay clearly in my mind? And perhaps most importantly, who is she?_

_I feel these answers are buried somewhere in the depths of my mind, somewhere where I cannot reach them. This thought exasperates me so. How is it that I cannot recall things that seem so familiar, seem to be a part of me?_

_I have so many questions and no answers, which is perhaps the aspect that bothers me most. I am Artemis Fowl II, and I am unaccustomed to having unanswered questions. With all the intellect at my disposal, why is it that I cannot answer the questions that seem to haunt me every waking moment, and even in my dream?_

_I will find the answers, this I swear. I do not care if I have to stray to the very ends of the Earth. I will be ridded of these bothersome questions, no matter the cost. I must find the answers._

Artemis saved the file and pushed away from his computer rubbing his temple. He was a genius; he was supposed to know the answer to everything. That when a question aroused itself in his mind, he would find the answer no matter the cost. But no questions plagued him such as the ones he had written down.

The troubled youth stood and crossed over to the window. Peering out into the vast hues of the sunset he almost expected to see a diminutive creature flying towards him. He put his back to the window mentally chiding himself. Why would he expect anything like that? He was a genius, genii don't believe in faeries and such similar ludicrous folklore.

Was he going crazy? He waved that thought away. Artemis knew the symptoms for every known mental disease, and many undiscovered ones. There was a logical explanation in all this. And he would find it. Artemis Fowl II would find the answers, even if it killed him. He didn't know how close he would come to having the answers kill him.

Outskirts of Haven City, the Lower Elements 

Opal Koboi, recently escaped convict couldn't help but giggle at her luck. Unfortunately all the giggling gave her the hiccups, and the noise of her hiccups made her giggle even harder.

What has caused this pixie to snap? Cudgeon. What has caused this pixie to dig a tunnel with a spoon from underneath her cot? Escape. Why was she sitting on the floor of an abandoned house alternating between giggles and hiccups? Revenge. One simple thing. Revenge.

Of course her job was made much easier by the fact that Briar Cudgeon, her treacherous partner was dead, and by the fact that the Fowl kid didn't remember anything.

Yes, Opal knew about the mind-wipe of Artemis Fowl. She heard two guards talking about it one day when they were walking be her cell. Opal knew that it was important, so she remembered that Artemis Fowl had been mind-wiped, until she remembered why it was important that Artemis Fowl had been mind-wiped.

So now, while she was sitting on a dirt floor, giggling and hiccupping, a plan was forming in Opal's insane mind. She would get revenge on Root and Holly and Foaly. And Artemis Fowl. But especially Holly, and Foaly. She hated Foaly because everyone thought he was sooooooo smart, when in reality he was just a stupid centaur. And she hated Holly, because Holly had gotten her brother sent to Howler's Peak. Her brother was dead now, because of that stupid LEP Captain.

But she needed a computer. Opal didn't want to break and enter a house. It might alert the cops. But it could be fun. Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun! Fun was a fun word. There it was again. Fun, fun, fun!

Opal slipped out of the abandoned house. A computer was important to her plan. No, no computer. Wings. She'd need a pair of wings. What was she supposed to remember about wings? Wing a ding a ling.

Haven City, the Lower Elements 

Holly trudged into the Operations Booth, to give Foaly the good news, but someone had beaten her to it.

"Hey, Holly, back from Howler's Peak already?"

Holly nodded, "Guess things are about to get more interesting around here."

Foaly shook his head, "Nope. I'm too busy being bored to be able to deal with something interesting."

The rest of the LEP felt the same. Ever since the mind-wipe of Artemis Fowl things had been, normal. Which would have been fine except for after all the Artemis Fowl adventures, normal seemed quite mundane. So the occasional escaped perp and troll weren't exactly filling the LEP's book of most exciting adventures. Naturally the entire LEP was notified of Opal's escape, and they were glad for a change in the ordinary routine.

"In fact," Foaly continued, "I think the whole LEP knows by now that Opal's escaped from Howler's Peak, and everyone's excited. They're about as sick of normal work as everyone else is."

Holly rolled her eyes, "That's great Foaly. Flaunt your genius every chance you get."

Foaly smirked, "And now it's time for me to flaunt more." He got up and clip-clopped over to his supply rack, and picked up a set of wings that Holly had never seen before. "These are my latest invention, the Bumblebee 900. Whisper silent motor, these babies could take you around the Earth twice before the sunrise, and still have enough fuel for another 18 trips."

"Fascinating Foaly," Holly said dryly, "but exactly why are you telling me this?"

"Because Root wants you to check up on Fowl and make sure Opal hasn't got to him yet."

"Even though the Council thinks I'm too 'emotionally attached' to Fowl."

"Hey, what the Council doesn't know can't hurt them."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N- Yeah, it's a bit shorter than my other chapters, but oh well. Please review.


	5. Chapter Four: When Madness Meets Brillia...

﻿ 

A/N: Sorry that it's been so long. Six months in fact. I meant to get around to updating, but it seemed with school and other activities that I never got around to it. Not to mention dealing with a big ol' heaping of writer's block.

**THE OPAL DECEPTION**

CHAPTER 4: WHEN MADNESS MEETS BRILLIANCE

**Outskirts of Haven City, the Lower Elements**

Opal was currently sitting on th e floor of her new "secret hideout". The various equipment she had gathered was scattered around her, much like some sort of mechanical explosion had taken place. Perhaps to the pixie there was some sort of organization involved, but to the outside viewer it was just a large mess.

Happily, Opal had recovered from her earlier bout of the hiccups and was now currently working on her evil cackle. "MWA AHAHAHA! No, that's not good enough. MWEHEHE! No, not evil enough. EHEEHE!" Opal violently threw down the piece she was working on. "For Frond's sake! Why can't I get this stupid evil cackle right! I used to be so good at it!"

Suddenly some shiny material caught Opal's attention, "Oooh, if I hook that to this and then to that . . ." Gleefully, Opal began hooking up several pieces and within the hour, her masterpiece was complete.

Her evil cackle however, left something to be desired.

**Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Artemis rubbed his temple. This feeling of unrest was only increasing with every passing day. He wished that these plaguing thoughts would just leave him alone. His wish was granted when he noticed a stooped figure at the front door.

Abandoning his station in the computer room, his curiosity drew him downstairs. Normally he would have Butler take care of it, but him and Juliet were taking a well earned vacation. Artemis was posed on the steps when the clanging of the doorbell resounded through-out the manor.

"Arty dear, would you get that?"

"Yes, Mother," Artemis responded.

He finished descending the stairs and paused momentarily before swinging the door open. He was quite surprised at what greeted him.

It was a short creature, a hood drawn far over it's head, preventing the boy genius from seeing it's face.

"Hello, Artemis Fowl. It's nice to see you again."

**Over Dublin, Ireland**

As Holly flew over the scenic land of Ireland, she couldn't help but shake a growing feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was going on, whether or not it had something to do with Artemis Fowl, she couldn't be certain of.

Artemis Fowl. Would it be worth it to see him again? Regardless of Foaly, or anyone else, Holly still regarded the Mud Boy as a friend. Albeit an evil, cunning friend, but a friend nonetheless.

This business with Opal had brought about mixed feelings in Holly. Sure, an escaped criminal mastermind was one thing, but Holly couldn't help but feel a bit of relief. She was sure all the other LEPs felt the same way. After all, things were boring underground and if you needed an escapee to make things more interesting, by all means, have an escapee. She'd never voice that opinion out loud to Root though. He'd be furious. Tell her that police work is not about being interesting, it's about protecting the civilians, or something like that.

Her thoughts were broken by the growing nauseous feeling in her stomach. Something was going on, she was certain of it. Picking up speed, she continued to Fowl Manor.

**Fowl Manor, Ireland**

"Who are you?" Artemis asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Perhaps these questions would be better answered in private," the figure replied.

"Fine, let us retire to my study."

"Arty, who was at the door?" His mother called down.

"A business associate of mine."

"All legal business, I hope."

"Of course, Mother."

"That's a good boy."

Artemis signaled to the visitor to follow him. Once they had reached the study, he locked the door before sitting and motioning for the visitor to do the same.

"Now will you tell me what you're here for?"

"Of course. I'm here to help you remember."

"I don't understand."

"You wouldn't. But soon you will." The figure handed him a disk, "This should help answer all those questions that have been plaguing you lately."

Artemis took the disk cautiously. "You still have not answered my first question. Who are you?"

The figure drew back it's cloak to reveal a face Artemis should've remembered, but didn't. "Why, Artemis Fowl, I'm an old friend."

-

A/N: Once again, I apologize for the long wait. Please review. All feedback welcome.


End file.
